Social media reviews: Blessing or burden for Tamil cinema ? —lets decode

The Tamil cinema world has always been balanced between fan love, praise, and criticism. But with the growth of YouTube and social media over the past decade, the term "criticism" has taken on a new face. Now, even before a film is released in theaters, more than ten review videos are posted on YouTube by the evening of the same day. This has a huge impact on fans, producers, and actors.Once upon a time, only newspapers, television, and weekly magazines provided a platform for criticism. But now hundreds of critics are sharing their opinions on YouTube channels, Twitter (X) posts, Instagram reels, etc. Some of them analyze the films in depth, but many others question the quality of the film through sarcasm, memes, and hilarious reviews. Such videos, released under the name “First Show Review,” are intended to dampen fans’ first-day, first-show excitement.If the same film had come out in the Tamil language, 90% of the critics would have criticized it as a big over-the-top masala film. In this context, it is worth noting that some influencers and paid critics have given positive reviews to some other-language films. Malayalam films like 'Manjummal Boys' were widely accepted by Tamils. The way online critics compare and criticize Tamil cinema with films in other languages shows a lack of proper evaluation.But on the other hand, fans use YouTube reviews as a “guideline.” Reviews help them decide whether to spend money and watch a movie or not. This sometimes helps to bypass poor-quality images and bring smaller images to the audience. For example, some low-budget films have become popular and successful due to positive YouTube reviews.Overall, the world of criticism is giving Tamil cinema a double standard. It is good that there are more critics, but reviews that launch attacks in one day without any structure also pose a risk of not respecting the work of creators. So the big question is how Tamil cinema and critical culture will find balance in the future. If reviews are as in-depth and responsible as articles, they will become a force for the advancement of Tamil cinema."I am taking under advisement all the reviews my fans and critics have had for the project. The idea is to learn from the negatives and make them my positives in my next turn. ... Without feedback, I am nothing. I cannot grow!" said Dhanush during one of his film promotions."It’s their opinion. We can rectify and do better," emphasized Vijay Sethupathi on answering about YouTube reviews at a press meet.“Everything has pros and cons… Anyone who has a camera and can talk is not a journalist. You can't talk about a film in front of the camera and monetize it on YouTube… If you want to kill a film through the review, go for it.” Vishal expressed concern over online reviews.Tamil cinema reviews have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it helps viewers choose quality films without wasting their time and money. And YouTube reviews are becoming a strong advertisement for smaller films. But unfortunately, when some critics exaggerate their views, it will affect the work of the film crew and the expectations of the fans. In such a situation, the question remains whether criticism should be a guide or an obstacle to cinema.